RECENTLY, the government of India summoned administrators of Wikipedia, in response to cricketer Arshdeep Singh's Wikipedia page being edited by trolls who labelled him a "Khalistani". In a cricket-crazy country, his dropped catch in a crucial match against Pakistan would have invited criticism, but distorting his Wikipedia page with falsehoods went beyond the pale.
The Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar through his Twitter handle stated that "no intermediary operating in India can permit this type of misinformation" as it violated the government's hope of a harmless and reliable internet.
Reacting to accusations from the Indian government of "deliberate efforts to incitement," the Wikimedia Foundation, which administers Wikipedia, mentioned that Singh's Wikipedia page had been rectified and secured, with only "trusted editors" now permitted to alter it. The Wikimedia Foundation also stated that none of its officials had been summoned. However, the Wikimedia Foundation has received an email from the IT ministry questioning the event. The Foundation said that it or Wikipedia does not presently have an office in India.
Wikipedia has become a household name ever since its inception in January 2001. It defines itself as a "multilingual free online encyclopedia scripted and preserved by a group of volunteers via open teamwork and a wiki-based editing system." Wikipedia's encyclopedic matter is user-created. This indicates that anyone can add to its knowledge base by making changes to existing pages for improvement or alteration and can even insert new pages. This differentiates Wikipedia from conventional encyclopedias that feature content from recognized authors. While this functioning model has its merits in so far that it permits democratization of knowledge, unrestricted access to Wikipedia has also resulted in worries related to the trustworthiness of facts that it presents.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PIL, Difficult To Swallow?
In a recent ruling, the Bombay High Court lamented the increasing number of frivolous public interest litigations being filed in courts and echoed the sentiments of the Supreme Court that such litigations are the bane of the judicial system. Is there any way to restrict their misuse?
Till Infertility Do Us Part...
The Calcutta High Court slammed a husband for initiating divorce proceedings due to his wife's infertility and asked him to be a pillar of support for her. Courts have often taken an empathetic view in such matters
IS THAT LEGAL?
Ignorance of law is no excuse. Here are answers to frequently asked queries regarding matters that affect us on a day-to-day basis
The Big Lie
In America, The Big Lie is an idiom used by Donald Trump's opponents and the media to describe his constant gripe about election fraud. Now, it seems more suited to another Republican, Congressman George Santos (right), who has been facing growing calls to resign after he admitted fabricating parts of his resume and biography since his election in New York last year.
Flying into the Sunset
Over 50 years since the first and original jumbo jet, the Boeing 747, took to the skies and revolutionized air travel, the last of the legendary aircraft (right) was delivered to a freight charter company, bringing down the curtain on one of aviation's most successful products.
Star Crossed
Actor and producer Alec Baldwin is a Hollywood legend, having starred in a range of movies, award winning TV sitcoms, and theatre. He was most recently seen in Mission Impossible Fallout, which is an apt description of his current situation.
Walkouts in the UK
An estimated half a million workers have gone on strike, shutting down thousands of schools, public transport and border disruption. It is the biggest day of industrial action for more than a decade.
Myanmar's Misery
Two years after the military coup ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the brutal crackdown by the junta on so-called \"insurgents\" and civilian protesters has reached a new level with the use of air strikes, a new and deadly tactic in the ongoing civil war.
AMERICA'S ANGST
From messy, divisive politics to a series of mass shootings, and now black officers brutally beating another black man to death as seen in bodycam videos, America's domestic convulsions are cause for serious introspection
JUSTICE LEAGUE
There are few judicial appointment procedures in the world that are completely bereft of the overarching presence of either the executive or the legislature, or both. In the end, the judge is left with all the powers vested in him/her by the constitution to uphold the rule of law, within an atmosphere of external influences
